Nursing Admissions

• High school and college transcripts from all institutions attended must be filed in the admissions office prior to February 1 of the year seeking admission.
• A grade point average (GPA) from JCC of at least 2.5 for current or previous college students.
• High school students or high school graduates who have no college experience must have earned a 90% or above in high school courses. If a high school student does not meet this requirement, they may still complete general education courses required for the nursing program and obtain at least a 2.5 GPA. Prior to full-time enrollment at JCC, high school students are encouraged to consider enrollment in college course opportunities, i.e. College Connections.
• A passing grade in a high school or college chemistry course. A strong science-based high school curriculum is highly recommended for student success in the nursing program.
• Eligibility for placement in ENG 1510 without supports.
• Eligibility for placement in MAT 1500: Problem Solving with Mathematics.
• A record of grades from credit bearing college courses must be established by applicants with a high school equivalency diploma (GED/TASC).
• Completion of the TEAS exam is a requirement for all nursing applicants.
• Must be 18 years of age by June 1 of the intended graduation year to be eligible to take the NCLEX exam for licensure as a registered nurse.
• Students entering the nursing program will only have two opportunities to successfully complete Anatomy and Physiology I and/or II with a “C” grade or better. Students who have taken Anatomy and Physiology I or II more than twice will not be permitted to enter or continue in the nursing program. A student wishing to be considered for a waiver to the two course limit should obtain letters of support from two faculty members, at least one of which must be from a nursing faculty member.

An admission rubric will be applied to applicants based upon eligibility criteria, previous education, and TEAS score. Ten percent of seats are reserved for high school students/graduates who meet program entrance requirements.

Meeting the criteria does not guarantee admission into the nursing program. A greater score on the admission rubric improves the applicant’s chances of being selected. Violations of the Academic Integrity or Student Conduct policies in JCC’s Constitution of the Student Body, or any violations of equivalent policies at other postsecondary institutions, shall also be considered as a factor in the admissions decision.

Prior to entrance into NUR 1510, students are required to present evidence of completion of a course in Basic Life Support (BLS) that includes infant, child, and adult CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED). The acceptable courses are: BLS for the Health Care Provider (American Heart Association) or CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer (American Red Cross). Students are strongly encouraged to take BLS during the summer prior to entering the nursing program. By taking BLS during the summer, the student will be compliant with the CPR requirement throughout the two-year nursing program. Courses may be available through the nursing program, JCC, and/or in the community.

All health care agencies in Pennsylvania require criminal background checks on nursing students before beginning a clinical placement. All JCC nursing students will be assigned to clinical experiences in PA during some semester(s). Therefore, nursing students are required, at their own expense, to complete the required child abuse background check and a state or federal background check before beginning clinical placement.

Inability to obtain a satisfactory clearance will prevent a student from being assigned to clinical experiences in PA, and as a result, the student will not be able to complete the clinical objectives for the course and will not be allowed to continue in the nursing program. (The college will not move a student from an agency that denies background clearance to another.) A criminal record may also jeopardize a graduate’s ability to obtain registered nurse licensure.

Applications for readmission are due by October 1 each year. The mandatory nursing information sessions are not required for readmitted students.

A student seeking readmission may enter the nursing program according to the following criteria:

1. Each student must apply for readmission to the nursing program through the admissions office at either the Jamestown or Cattaraugus County campus. If you wish to enter the nursing program in the fall semester, you need to apply by February 1, and for the spring semester, by October 1. Applications may continue to be accepted past the deadlines on a space available basis. Readmission application
2. Each student must be accepted into the college for the semester being readmitted. (Reapplication must be completed by any readmitted student who was not attending JCC the semester immediately prior to admission.)
3. Students seeking readmission into the nursing program need to meet the same criteria as students entering the nursing program for the first time.
4. Any readmitted student who withdrew two years ago or longer will be required to enter NUR 1510.
5. A minimum grade of “C” is required in each nursing course. A student will be permitted to repeat one nursing core course (NUR 1510, NUR 1520, NUR 2510, and NUR 2520) one time. Should students be unsuccessful in repeating any nursing core course, they would be ineligible to continue in the nursing program. Students who are unsuccessful in more than one nursing core course and have already repeated one core course will not be eligible to repeat a second nursing core course. Withdrawal from a core nursing course after the first 30 calendar days will be considered a failure of the course for reapplication purposes. In case of illness or other extreme circumstances, the faculty may consider a one-time exception. The student wishing to be considered for a waiver to the withdrawal counting as a failure for reapplication purposes should obtain letters of support from two faculty members. The waiver with letters of support from two full-time faculty members should be submitted to the nursing program committee for consideration.
6. Once the nursing sequence of courses has begun, the student must complete the program in three years. The faculty may consider exceptions to the three-year period. The student wishing to be considered for a waiver to the three-year period should obtain letters of support from two full-time nursing faculty members. The waiver, with letters of support, will be submitted to the nursing program committee for consideration.
7. A student seeking readmission into the nursing program will be considered on the basis of space available and grade point average.
8. Students seeking readmission must complete a satisfactory skills demonstration of selected skills from the previous semester.

Students will be granted the opportunity to practice the skills and will have two opportunities to successfully demonstrate the skills. During this time the resources of the college laboratory will be available to them. The demonstration of skills will occur prior to the start of the semester. Students will be notified as to the skills to be demonstrated and the times for demonstration. Students who do not successfully demonstrate selected skills after the second opportunity will be denied reacceptance into the nursing program. A $100 fee will be charged for the skills demonstration. The fee must be paid at the business office prior to the demonstration of skills. The student must bring a copy of the receipt to the testing site.

• Lab fees: $250 per semester (NUR 1510, NUR 1520, NUR 2510, and NUR 2520).
• Physical information: To certify the health of students working with patients or clients in health care facilities, JCC, by law, must notify the health care agencies of the status of the students. Therefore, a physical examination to determine the student’s health is required prior to registration and enrollment in any nursing course requiring a clinical component. JCC will provide the forms and information regarding the physical examination following the student’s written acceptance to the nursing program. The fees for these services will be added to the semester tuition bill.
• Drug screen: It is a contractual requirement between the college and some healthcare agencies that prior to    beginning their clinical experiences at the healthcare agency; students must complete a 10 panel urine drug screen evaluation and receive clinical clearance to practice. Therefore, the college must require all Jamestown Campus freshman nursing students to complete a 10 panel drug screen evaluation and receive clearance prior to any clinical experience. The Campus Health Center performs the drug screen. Students who do not receive drug screen clearance from the initial 10 panel screen evaluation will be required to undergo a second drug screen at a higher additional cost.  Subsequently, if a student does not receive drug screen clearance from the second screening, the student will not be allowed to participate in any clinical experiences. Students who are not able to complete their clinical experiences will not be permitted to continue in the nursing program.
• Hepatitis B vaccine: The vaccine provides active immunity against Hepatitis B. It is strongly recommended by JCC and health care agencies that all students receive this immunization.
• Criminal background check and clearance: All health care agencies in Pennsylvania (PA) require criminal background checks on nursing students before beginning a clinical placement. All JCC nursing students will be assigned to clinical experiences in PA during some semester(s). Therefore, nursing students are required, at their own expense, to complete the required child abuse background check, state and federal background checks before beginning clinical placement. Inability to obtain a satisfactory clearance will prevent a student from being assigned to clinical experiences in PA, and as a result, the student will not be able to complete the clinical objectives for the course and will not be allowed to continue in the nursing program. (The college will not move a student from an agency that denies background clearance to another.) A criminal record may also jeopardize a graduate’s ability to obtain registered nurse licensure.  (See separate federal and state background checks and clearance sheet)
• Transportation: A variety of area agencies are used to provide clinical experiences for the nursing student. Among these agencies are private and public acute care hospitals, psychiatric facilities, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, public schools, health care clinics, and home care agencies. Transportation and all the expenses associated with the agency experience are the responsibility of the student. Clinical agency placements are limited and in high demand by a variety of health care programs. Clinical agency assignments for JCC’s nursing program may be located in the following areas but are not limited to: Jamestown, Dunkirk, and Olean, NY and Bradford, Erie, and Warren, PA. Although students will have an opportunity to express their preferences for clinical site locations, the time and location of the clinical agency experience is at the discretion of the faculty. It is also a faculty policy to insure that students have well-rounded clinical experiences in a variety of clinical agencies. Therefore, students must attend more than one agency for their primary rotation during their four semesters of the program.
• Uniforms: Each student is expected to have a uniform for selected clinical experiences beginning with NUR 1510. Uniforms will be ordered during the first week of the fall semester. Other expenses associated with the uniform include a name embroidered & patch sewn on, white shoes, wrist watch (with second hand or timer), scissors, blood pressure cuff, and stethoscope.
• License and first registration fees: Fees for the licensure examination and first registration, which occur after the final semester of the program, are approximately $425 for New York state and $390 for Pennsylvania. Fees charged by other states will vary with the state.

All students who are applying for first semester application will need to take the TEAS nursing admittance entrance exam. The exam will be delivered remote and be remotely proctored. The instructions link will outline the registration process and system requirements. The cost of the exam will be $115 and payable to ATI during online registration. You will have the option of sending the results to one school after completion of exam (Jamestown CC).

• Instructions »